


Two Wardens Decide To Kill an Archdemon

by tangelotime



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-22 19:01:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6090907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangelotime/pseuds/tangelotime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mani and Alistair can't decide which one of them should take one for the team and kill the archdemon. They settle it, kind of, by scuffling like school children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Wardens Decide To Kill an Archdemon

Mani leapt off as the demon gave a sky shattering roar, just on the edge of death. It had been a long and weary fight and she grimaced. It wasn't over, not yet. 

Blades in hand, she took one step towards the demon when an armored hand caught her wrist. 

“Wait,” Alistair said. “There's no need for you to do this.”

Mani pulled her hand from his and took a step back, eyeing him warily. 

“Alistair, I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself,” she said. “You're going to be king.” 

He had a future. He had a kingdom. He had to stay alive, even if it was the simple fact that if he died her heart would break into a million pieces. 

“Exactly!” He exclaimed. “It'll be my first and last act as King, in service to Fereldan. Anora can rule much better than I can anyway.”

“After all that trouble putting you on the throne?” she demanded, taking another step back. 

“It's not the only reason,” he said softly taking a step forward. “You know how I feel about you.”

Mani swallowed. She did. Maker help her, it still surprised her, but she did. Even if he had broken up with her. 

“I'm not letting you die if I can help it,” he said, reaching for her face. She pushed his hand away and shook her head. 

“No,” she said. “I can't let you do this.”

“Who said I was giving you a choice?” Alistair said and walked resolutely past her. 

Panic blossomed in her chest and she grabbed his hand.

“Wait!” she cried, her voice breaking.

She couldn't let him die, couldn't let him leave, not like she had her parents, her sister. It was a pattern, she thought giddily, that people she loved kept giving their lives to save her.

“One last kiss,” she said quietly, sheathing her blades and reaching for him. 

Alistair looked like his heart was breaking. 

“Thank you,” he said, stepping towards her. “For everything.”

Mani swallowed. As he leaned in, she took a step back, and sent her fist crashing into the side of his cheek. 

He went down, surprised, like a sack of potatoes. Mani spun on the balls of her feet, to run, but a hand seized her ankle and she fell, catching herself with her hands. 

“Mani!” Alistair wheezed, on the ground. “I have like a constitution of like forty five.”

“Constitution this,” she snapped, and kicked his shoulder with her other foot. The impact against his armor sent reverberations rattling up her leg. 

“Ow!” Alistair said, probably out of surprise more than anything. He was wearing plate after all. She yanked her foot out of his hand. “Mani, seriously?”

He made another grab at her, but she jumped out of his range and to her feet. 

“And I've got a dex score of fifty,” she said before turning and running. “Catch me if you fucking can.”

There was a clatter of metal as he picked himself off the ground. Mani risked a glance backwards to see him charging her. 

She yelped as he barreled into her, sending them both crashing to the ground. The wind was knocked clean out of her lungs and she wheezed. 

“Sorry,” she heard him mutter as he grappled with her, reaching for her wrists. She hissed at him. 

“Of all the decisions-” she said, grunting, tearing her hands from his, “-you want to make-” she managed to turn halfway and shoved a hand into his face, a finger catching his nostril, “-why is it this one?”

Alistair recoiled, jerking his face from her hand, giving her enough room to wriggle out from under him. He lunged forward again, grabbing her legs before she could make it off the ground. 

“You know why,” he grunted. “Same reason you're being so stubborn!”

Mani scrabbled for a handful of grit and threw it in his face. 

“Augh! Mani!” Alistair didn't let go. “Wynne, can you paralyze her or something?”

“Don't you dare!” she snapped. 

“I'm not interfering with this,” Wynne said, raising her hands. “You will have to decide for yourselves.”

“As amusing as this little tussle is,” Shale said, “I believe the archdemon is trying to escape.”

Their heads snapped towards the injured demon, limping toward the edge of the roof. Mani and Alistair scrambled to their feet and bolted toward the dragon. 

A sword protruded from a corpse in front of them and they reached for it at the same time, their hands closing around the hilt. They gave each other a look. 

“Together then?” Mani asked, glancing at him. They could leave it up to chance, let fate make the decision no one else could bear to do. Alistair nodded, and together they pulled up the sword and charged. 

The archdemon swung its long neck at them, baring its teeth. Mani tugged downward on the sword, and Alistair followed her lead, ducking under its spiky head and burrowing the blade into its long neck. He pushed the sword forward, the blade pressing through its neck and Mani put her strength behind it. The archdemon roared and collapsed, and they stepped out from under it. Its giant head hit the stone roof in front of them. Was it dead yet? 

Together they raised the sword above their heads and together they drove it down into the head of the beast.

**Author's Note:**

> Definitely inspired by the Improved Romance Scene Alistair mod, where you can knock him out and make the sacrifice yourself lmao.


End file.
